From Ethan
Hey Mum!
So if we need to we can make this a shorter letter so we can get me registered for everything. That's kinda on my top priority right now haha.
Anyways, this week was full of its own interesting challenges. Its proven to be kinda hard to find a vision and a sense of purpose in this ward. With so little time and so much to do, its tough to make it as personal as I want to. But we're working hard nonetheless. Apparently the rumor has spread like wildfire throughout the ward that the two new Elders in the Ward are short timers. But we're trying to dispel the rumors that we're trunky haha. Me and Elder A are both committed to working till the last possible minute, but its kinda tough when you're under the kind of bind that we are. We've talked about it a lot. Elder A has a really strong testimony of the inspiration of our leaders and that there is always a purpose in what we are asked to do out here. I agree. But I also am of the opinion that we don't always have to know the deep meaning in every little thing that happens to us as missionaries. I just want to work as hard as we know how, make ourselves as open to revelation as possible, and try to be the best possible tools in the Lord's hand's that we can make ourselves, and the rest will fall in place. We actually had a lot of small miracles this week too. Those definitely add up. So it has been a good week.
Monday was my last zone P-day. I'm glad I'm done with those. The ZL's never put any effort into it, so we always just end up playing basketball and volleyball at the church. But me and a couple other missionaries got together and played some approved card games. So that was fun.
Ate with the older R family that evening, and then Elder A went in early that night because he was feeling really crummy. All this new exercise sometimes shocks your immune system.
Tuesday was a good day. Service in the morning, finding in the afternoon, Steak for dinner at the R family's place, and then we had a couple of really awesome lessons. The first was to Sister C, who had been inactive for a long time until a few years ago, and her non-member husband. He was super antagonistic towards the church at first, but now he loves what it does for his wife. We talked about the importance of the temple. She's really close to getting there. Then we went to the M and taught them a follow up lesson on prayer. Great lesson.
Wednesday is usually our busy day, but not this week. we visited a lot of less actives that morning, and we actually found out some new info on a couple of them that the ward hadn't known. Then we went to district meeting, and I gave my last training. It was on the relationship between Faith, Grace, and Works, and how to apply that in our missionary work. So many secular Christians don't understand how they work together. That has been a topic of my study for my entire mission almost. And I feel like it was definitely one of my better trainings. It was a satisfying conclusion lecture to what has been a really tough course of study. And I got a bunch of compliments on it.
One of the other things that we have been doing recently is just going out, walking around, and talking to whoever we see. No plans, just preaching. Its been kinda cool and we have found a bunch of new potentials that way. I feel like my mission has been a lot of potential finding for other missionaries, and then whenever we turn someone into an investigator, they were usually found by someone else! Oh well. We're all on the same team I guess.
The M family bought us panda express that night, which was cool since I haven't actually had anything other than cheap Chinese in a while haha. I'll have to take you guys to a dollar scoop when we come through here again.
Then our lesson with Susan cancelled. If she hasn't read the BOM the next time we're probably going to drop her. Then we taught a lesson about the temple to the B Family. They are soooo solid. Wish I could have taught them before they were baptized.
Thursday we street contacted in the morning again, and ran into a couple of less actives. That was kinda cool. Some really interesting timing there for some of them.
Went to the T family's place for lunch and they gave us a hair cut. Last one of the mission! My style has changed a tad since I've been home haha.
went to arc in the early afternoon, and then we tried a bunch of LAs in the later afternoon. Ate dinner with the awesome W family who fed us ribs, and then we taught a lesson on the Priesthood to the S family. Brother S was ordained a priest but he's never done anything that comes with it. He's really shy so it will take some convincing before he'll agree to bless the sacrament. Then we got stood up by the J family, and drove around with Brother S visiting unknowns. Got a few doors slammed in our face haha.
Friday was Halloween. It was okay, but doing weekly planning in the evening while handing out candy was kind of a bummer. But we got a lot of service done that day with a few non members, and we taught a lesson in an assisted living home with Brother V and his friend who also lives there. She's a LA that just moved into the home. Super friendly, but kinda hard to stay on task haha. I didn't carve a pumpkin this year :( No time or resources.
Saturday's highlights include teaching the Native American B family, who unexpectedly fed us lunch, and seeing the G family that night. They hadn't had the missionaries over for dinner for a long time because some past missionaries were dumb. But they like us and they had us over, so that is a total plus to the ward trust category. We later found out that they were having some struggles with one of their teenage daughters, so our being there apparently has helped with that. That was pretty sweet I thought.
Then Sunday was booked solid almost. Meetings in the morning, sacrament visits before church, church (where we both bore our final fast sunday testimony), Dinnery with the S family, and then Lesson one with the H family for their 7 year old son Nick. He's getting baptized in December so they want him to have a thorough understanding before that. They are such an awesome family. Brother H took us home and talked our ears off about his mission for a solid 45 minutes. And then our day was done! Just like that.
Anyways, I gotta go, some members are picking us up to take us to lunch. Love you guys!
Have the mission office get ahold of me of there is anything else we need to do for registration!
Love
Elder Efan
Hello Everyone! The pictures from Lexi's party were awesome! Lexi is getting so big! And I love how all the kids are climbing all over dad, not much changes! That is so freaking awesome, with the baptism that Emily got to speak at the baptism! Good job all of you for being member missionaries! And from all the move pictures it seems like I will be home by the time it is all finished haha! Elder Anderson! Thats so crazy he is coming back to finish out his mission! I was wondering about him because when Elder Buhler friend requested me, I saw pictures with Elder Anderson in them! Yeah I am staying in Ahwatukee area and staying the same ward with Elder C. It looks like I will be here for at least six months! Pretty crazy! I love it here except it is pretty dang hard to find people that are interested. Some other Elders are like "look at it this way, since all you know is that zone, when you get to a zone that has a lot more going on it will be like Christmas all the time" haha so I am hoping it is something like that!
Lets see this week and transfer flew by.
Monday: Not much happened we did our normal routine. Elder C and I decided to go to Macdonalds to see how much I had on my gift card and I bought some stuff, swiped the card and it said approved so I like yelled yes! Turns out that I had only 30 cents and it approved me for that... and I didnt have any money left on my card, soo I had to use the Amex ahaha. After p-day was over we went and visited a few families. We visited the P who are awesome! He is super pumped about missionary work and was like "really if you guys need anything let me know" he then proceeded to give us another 10 bucks haha. It is tough to visit members because on mondays it's family home evening and we dont like to interrupt that.
Tuesday: We had district meeting and it was kindof like a fast and testimony meeting because we all got to help teach, bare testimony and train. It was pretty awesome! Then we got a call to help someone move who we didnt even know and had no idea how much stuff would be there haha. Brother P was able to help with his truck and we showed up and there was like nothing to move. Plus it was way on the other side of the other Elder's area and then we brought it back to the way other side of our area haha. Like I said the Painters are awesome! We then went on exhcanges and I went with Elder w to his area. It went well we visited a few people from the ward and potentials and then after dinner we had a lesson with one of their investigators who was going to be baptized that upcoming weekend! She was super golden. Married to a less active that is now coming back to church. We taught laws and Ordinances.
Wednesday: We finished up exchanges, Elder W and I went to the Guadeloupe part of his area which is really sketchy but that is where all these cool shops are so I will have to go back there some time! Plus that is where I got my new facebook picture haha. Since he now covers part of my old area we visited some people that I remembered and had two lessones with less actives that I had become pretty good friends with. We then had a lesson with the Delaughters and taught the Plan of Salvation. It always ends up them just talking about all these crazy doctrines that probably have some kindof truth to them but are way way out there. haha We stayed for dinner to so it lasted even longer with all the doctrinal stuff haha. We then met with our only ward missionary since we have no ward mission leader or missionaries really. We kindof filled her in on everything. We then visited some members of the tempe 10th part of our ward which has really young people and really really old people. Not much in between
Thursday: We went and did service for another lady in our ward and helped clean up her yard that was getting pretty crazy. It is tought to fill those morning ours so service is a great way to get to know members, get them to trust you, and to just help someone! We found a new investigator who really isnt an investigator he just likes to talk about religion and knows like every religion to the tee... except ours olddly enough. We met with him but he is pretty much athiest so it is tough. We then went by a few potentials and set up a few return appointments. We then got called to help set up for the ward Halloween party. So we helped with that and then got to be the judges for the chili cook off. So needless to say since this is our second time doing it, my tough is tired of chili haha. It is funny because it looked exactly like our ward back home. No matter where you go, you get the same Halloween party in an church gym with the same kindof things happening. Felt like home! That took up most the night because we were asked to help clean up as well.
Friday:It was Halloween!! There was not much to do this day because people where either gone, or preparing for the evening and didnt have time. We had weekly planning. Its funny because that week you sometimes are planning for an area that you might not even be in anymore haha. We visited some people and asked for referrals with not much luck. Then we had to be in at 6 because president Toone doesnt want anything bad happening to his missionaries that day. So it was kindof a day off! Except we didnt have much to do except twidle our thums haha. We did find the board game Risk in our closet and got approve from the Zl's to play it, so that pretty much took up our night haha
Saturday: it is already November! This week was a rough week. A lot of interruptions and a lot of people gone and a lot of people cancelled. Kindof disheartening. We then had a lesson that was set an investigator we were excited about cancelled on us. So hopefully can meet with her soon. Most of our day was compiled of studies and more service. The mission has a new program called just serve. Where community things can sign up for missionaries to come and serve. We are allowed 10 hours a week to help with that. So hopefully that starts rolling fast. Being a tester mission is cool! We had stake conference and then just street contacted because it got out late
Sunday; Was the regualar stake conference. They tried this new thing where 97 stakes in Arizona had a broadcast from Salt Lake. We got to hear from President Uchtdorf and Elder Christoferson! It was like a mini general conference! Really cool! We then has a lesson with our temple open house referral. We invited him to be baptized but his less active girlfriend said no for him. They are living together and she knew exactly what that meant. He is still really interested so we will continue to work with them! We visited people in the amazing 60 degree weather! or something like that. I was actually really cold for the first time in what has seemed like forever..... We went in early to send in stats because of transfer calls. Waited and it took a long time to find out that I am staying haha.
That was my week!v Tough week. This next transfer hopefully will be a good one! Bishop Wright has a goal of 10 baptisms for the ward this year! We are at 9! So I really want to help be a part of that and hit the goal they set!
Love you all! And thanks for the emails!
Elder Hemsley
